Braintree May Lose Millions For New School Without Debt Exclusion

BRAINTREE, MA — If Braintree is unable to pass a debt exclusion or find another way to pay their share for a new South Middle School, the town will likely lose out on $31 in funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, state officials told the Town Council Wednesday night. Residents will vote March 28 on whether to approve 63 million debt exclusion, which would have Braintree residents foot the bill in property taxes for the next 30 years.

Jack McCarthy, the executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, told the council when a community rejects funding a project the state offered funding to, "generally that project is over."

McCarthy said municipalties that fail to pass pass a debt exclusion get 10 days to find an alternative way to pay for the project, but usually, they can't. If this were to happen, Braintree would have to start over in applying for building authority funds. He said construction costs would also likely increase.

McCarthy said the process is competitive. Each year, the Massachusetts School Building Authority receives more than 100 statements of interest. Generally, it can only afford to approve 10 projects per year.

The debt exclusion was proposed by Mayor Charles Kokoros in January to pay for a new South Middle School and other schools improvement projects.

Former Mayor Joseph Sullivan had originally proposed borrowing $85.5 million and using the $31 million the town received from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to repay the loans. Sullivan said the town could pay for the school within its own operating budget. But this plan was withdrawn by the Town Council after Kokoros spent several months studying the town's finances, concluding Braintree doesn't have the money in its operating budget to make loan payments on a new school.

The mayor broke down the money by project with the majority of the exclusion, $55.6 million, covering the construction of a new South Middle School. Other projects include:

• $5 million to replace roofs at five elementary schools
• $1.5 million for a feasibility study on redeveloping Braintree High School
• $1 million for school security improvements district-wide.

If a debt exclusion is approved, property taxes will increase, but the increases will decrease gradually over the life of the loan. Here's a breakdown of the average tax increases:

• Years 1-5: $190.99
• Years 6-10: $175.91
• Years 11-20: 170.88
• Years 20-30: $150.78

Read more on the proposed debt exclusion here:

• How Much Will The Braintree Debt Exclusion Cost You In Taxes?
• Opinion: Vote Yes For Braintree Debt Exclusion
• Braintree Debt Exclusion To Cost $63 Million Over 30 Years: Mayor
• Mayor Calls For Debt Exclusion To Pay For New South Middle School